Braves set to promote slugger Riley

No. 34 overall prospect headed for MLB debut after big month

Austin Riley is batting .360/.458/1.020 with 10 homers and 23 RBIs in 13 games in May for Gwinnett. (Bernie Connelly/Gwinnett Stripers)

By Tyler Maun / MiLB.com | May 15, 2019 1:47 AM

Austin Riley's torrid May is carrying him to the Major Leagues.

The Braves are set to promote their fourth-ranked prospect to the big leagues on Wednesday, according to MLB.com's Mark Bowman. Outfielder Ender Inciarte is expected to be placed on the injured list as the club's corresponding roster move.

Riley started his season slowly with Triple-A Gwinnett but has caught fire since the middle of April. His slash line dipped to .180/.255/.320 after he went 1-for-6 with a strikeout in the Stripers' 10-6 loss to Charlotte on April 16. In 25 games since, Riley is batting .362/.439/.872 with 13 homers and 33 RBIs. In May alone, the 22-year-old is hitting .360/.458/1.020 with 10 long balls and 23 RBIs.

MLB.com's No. 34 overall prospect leads the International League with 15 homers, 39 RBIs, 25 extra-base hits and 98 total bases. His .681 slugging percentage ranks second on the circuit, while his 1.057 OPS is third.

Riley, the 41st overall selection in the 2015 Draft, was back at Gwinnett after playing 75 games there a season ago. Last year with the Stripers, the Mississippi high school product batted .282/.346/.464 with 12 homers and 47 RBIs. He's been named an MiLB.com Organization All-Star each of his four seasons in the Atlanta system.

On Monday, Riley was named IL Player of the Week after hitting .296/.406/.778 with four homers and eight RBIs in seven games. He celebrated by smacking his second career grand slam in Tuesday's 11-3 win at Buffalo.

Tyler Maun is a contributor to MiLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @TylerMaun.
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.